The uber-voluptuous Joan Holloway on 'Mad Men' is played by the uber-voluptuous Christina Hendricks, who many of us remember fondly - very fondly, I might add - from her breakout role as Saffron "Reynolds" in the late, great series 'Firefly', already referenced here by lwien a few posts above. Certainly a woman worthy of a restraining order.

Oh Geez, now I'm ashamed. Saffron (I still think of her as Mrs. Mal) was responsible for a couple of great eps and probably should have been a regular part of the cast if the show didn't tank so early on. I always thought Joan looked slightly familiar, but I don't recall Saffron looking quite so, 'cough' umm, 'robust' (best euphemism I can think of at the moment) during her FF stints. Hot, well assembled and athletic, yes. But nowhere like how she is currently.

Oh Geez, now I'm ashamed. Saffron (I still think of her as Mrs. Mal) was responsible for a couple of great eps and probably should have been a regular part of the cast if the show didn't tank so early on. I always thought Joan looked slightly familiar, but I don't recall Saffron looking quite so, 'cough' umm, 'robust' (best euphemism I can think of at the moment) during her FF stints. Hot, well assembled and athletic, yes. But nowhere like how she is currently.

Check those eps out again, especially the second one she was in ("Trash"...?). She certainly looked...impressive...in those frilly blouses. Much sexier, IMO, than that armored personnel carrier, complete with twin pointed missile launchers, of a dress she's usually painted into on MM. Now, excuse me; a cold shower awaits.

Check those eps out again, especially the second one she was in ("Trash"...?). She certainly looked...impressive...in those frilly blouses. Much sexier, IMO, than that armored personnel carrier, complete with twin pointed missile launchers, of a dress she's usually painted into on MM. Now, excuse me; a cold shower awaits.

Mad Men is a 'period piece', and obviously she was intended to be our first line of defense in the midst of the Cuban missle crisis. Slim Pickens was merely backup.

I find this shocking, just shocking. That perfect skin, perfect bone structure, cute-as-a-button figure seductively hidden behind those perfectly tailored power suits - and this is what clinched it for me - that glorious mane of perfectly coiffed straight red hair, nary a strand out of place even as she was being spun into a giant cocoon or being violated by invasive alien probes. Oooh-la-la! No, my friends; a thousand times no. Dana Scully was a thinking man's sex symbol, no matter what head you may have been thinking with.

The uber-voluptuous Joan Holloway on 'Mad Men' is played by the uber-voluptuous Christina Hendricks, who many of us remember fondly - very fondly, I might add - from her breakout role as Saffron "Reynolds" in the late, great series 'Firefly', already referenced here by lwien a few posts above. Certainly a woman worthy of a restraining order.

ohmygod, you're right. I never made the connection because on MM they pumped her vavavoom up to 11.

I find this shocking, just shocking. That perfect skin, perfect bone structure, cute-as-a-button figure seductively hidden behind those perfectly tailored power suits - and this is what clinched it for me - that glorious mane of perfectly coiffed straight red hair, nary a strand out of place even as she was being spun into a giant cocoon or being violated by invasive alien probes.

Hey, you took my quote out of context! I'm saying she started out homely, and then got VERY hot as the series progressed (by 2nd season?). C'mon, look at her in the first episode! Was her hair even red?...maybe barely? The make-up crew sculptured her in unbelievable ways from that point. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. I'm saying they keyed in on her native features to great success!

Wow....that was a great premiere. This might be the best show FOX has put on in a very long time. Very well written, directed and acted and it looked and sounded absolutely fantastic in High-Def. My only hope is they can continue the momentum through the season and if they do, I feel we are in for the next Lost. I can see this show going very far and being one of those AAA shows on TV.

Loved the 60 second commercials too (even though I fast forwarded through most of them )

With all the strings Olivia was pulling to get things done in her investigation, I'm going to call bs on her being unable to get access to Walter without his son's help. Like the government can't get someone out of an institution if it is believed that they can help a top-level case!?

Liked the show enough to hook up the ol' season pass...for now, anyway.

With all the strings Olivia was pulling to get things done in her investigation, I'm going to call bs on her being unable to get access to Walter without his son's help. Like the government can't get someone out of an institution if it is believed that they can help a top-level case!?

Liked the show enough to hook up the ol' season pass...for now, anyway.

I think the reasoning behind that was that Broyles didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to the yet unsolved case. They didn't know that getting Walter out of the Mental Institution would lead to (somewhat) resolving the case. There were definitely some plot holes...but nothing giant that really took you out of the premise...

Honestly, if it weren't for the show's sense of humor, particularly with the mad scientist, I'd already be out. The main drama isn't very good at all.

Several of the comic relief moments were very funny. Loved 3/4 of the cast sitting there eating Chinese, watching Spounge Bob and hanging out with a cow. The show desperately needs to keep this element, because their science is outright dumb and their dramatic effect is limited. If this show works at all it is going to be with a bit of that House or Firefly element of likable characters and good humor amid the drama.

Kinda reminds me, in the basic dynamics of the cast, of Men in Trees. You have a female lead who at best is interchangeable surrounded by a strong supporting cast of much more enjoyable characters than her. Fortunately the lead actress isn't as overtly unlikable as Anne Heche was on men in Trees.